Feedstuff for silkworm larvae



United States Patent 3,529,058 FEEDSTUFF FOR SILKWORM LARVAE Tetsuo Okauchi, Hirakata, Japan, assignor to Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd., Osaka, Japan N0 Drawing. Filed Feb. 24, 1967, Ser. No. 618,313 Claims priority, application Japan, Feb. 24, 1966, 41/11,372 Int. Cl. A01n 9/36 US. Cl. 424-200 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Weight of silkworm cocoons, and especially of cocoon layers, is increased by feeding the 4th instar silkworm larvae feedstuff containing a compound of the formula II R11I)R3 R2 wherein X is a member selected from the group consist ing of O and S, and each of R R and R is dialkylamino, or ethyleneirnino (aziridin-l-yl).

This invention relates to a method for increasing the weight of silkworm cocoons, especially of cocoon layers, and to appurtenant feedstuff for silkworm larvae. More particularly, this invention relates to the method which comprises feeding the 4th instar silkworm larvae feedstulf containing a compound of the formula wherein X is O or S, and each of R R and R is dialkylamino or ethyleneimino (aziridin-l-yl), the alkyl having a maximum of four carbon atoms and the ethyleneimino being unsubstituted or substituted by alkyl having a maximum of four carbon atoms; and to the said feedstufi itself.

Although many improvements in mulberry leaves, artificial feedstutts for silkworm larvae, race of silkworms and methods of rearing the larvae have been proposed for the purpose of increasing the weight of cocoons, none of these prior proposals has provided a satisfactory etfect in increasing the cocoon weight.

One object of the present invention is to embody a satisfactory method for increasing the weight of silkworm cocoons, especially of cocoon layers. Another object of the present invention is to provide an artificial feedstutf for rearing silkworm larvae, especially in 4th instar larvae These objects are achieved, and cocoons and cocoon layers of increased weight are obtained by the present invention, according to which the 4th instar silkworm larvae are reared on feedstufi containing compound (I) supra, while the weight of the cocoons rather decreases when any other instar silkworm larvae than the 4th instar are reared on the said feedstufi.

As compounds of Formula I, there may, for example, be used Hexamethylphosphoryl amide:

H: 0 Hz 3,529,058 Patented Sept. 15, 1970 Triethylenephosphoryl amide (also termed tris(aziridin-1-yl)ph0sphorine oxide:

HzC CH2 Tris Z-methylaziridinl-yl) phosphorine oxide:

0 OH(CH3) NP N/ i 1120 011(0 H3) Tris (Z-ethylaziridin- 1 -yl) phosphorine oxide:

H20 0 CH(C:H5)

NI| N\ s 2) /N\ CH2 H: C C H C 2115) Triethylenethiophosphoryl amide:

H20 CH1 As aforestated, in the method of the present invention, an increase of weight of silkworm cocoons, especially of silkworm cocoon layers can be attained by feeding a feedstuff containing compound (I) to the 4th instar silkworm larvae. As feedstuff containing compound (I), there may be employed, for example, mulberry leaves incorporated with compound '(I), or artificial feedstutf containing compound (I), together with conventional components of artificial feedstutf for silkworms.

Mulberry leaves incorporated with compound (I) may be prepared by, for example, spraying a solution of compound (I) onto fresh mulberry leaves, or immersing the leaves in the solution.

The quantity of compound (I) to be supplemented to the fresh mulberry leaves is practically about 0.005 to about 0.6% by weight relative to the fresh mulberry leaves.

The compound (I) may be supplemented to a conventional artificial feedstufi composed of eg. terpenes '(which may however be omitted), e-sitosterol with or without flavonoids, cellulose, powder, choline, nucleic acid or its derivatives, chlorogenic acid, etc., and sugar, inorganic phosphate, inorganic silicate, inositol, etc. As further per se conventional components of such feedstufr, which are helpful for the growth of silkworm larvae, there may, for example, be used agar-agar, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose, alginic acid; soybean powder, parched bean flour, defatted soybean powder, bean curd, dried fermented soybean powder, defatted and dried bean paste; cereal flour such as rice flour, barley flour, wheat flour, etc.; yeast products such as dry yeast, yeast extract, extracted fluid of yeast, extracted yeast cake; straw ashes;

and fish meal. These also serve as carrier. Further there may be included the following per se conventional nutritious components for the growth of silkworm larvae:

Animal or plant proteins; Aminoacids such as glutamic acid, aspartic acid, leu- 4 by weight of tris(2 methylaziridin 1 yl)phosphorine oxide, prepared by immersing fresh mulberry leaves in a 0.05% aqueous solution of tris(Z-methylaziridin-l-yl) phosphorine oxide and drying the leaves.

Diet 3: mulberry leaves admixed with about 0.02%

cine, lysine, tryptophane, valine, serine, proline, glycine, by weight of tris(2 methylaziridin 1 yl)phosphorine alanine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, arginine, methionine, oxide, prepared by immersing fresh mulberry leaves in threonine, or their salts; a 0.1% aqueous solution of tris(Z-methylaziridin-l-yl) Vitamins such as pantothenic acid, nicotinic acid, vitaphosphorine oxide and drying the leaves. min B vitamin B vitamin B vitamin B vitamin C, Results:

Number of Weight of a Weight of a Weight of a Weight of a silkworm cocoon cocoon layer cocoon cocoon layer larvae (average, (average, (average, (average, tested milligrams) milligrams) milligrams milligrams) vitamin D, biotin, folic acid, vitamin K, vitamin E, vita- 2() EXAMPLE 2 min P, inositol, orotic acid, oc-liPOiC acid; I

Inorganic salts such as calcium carbonate, sodium car- The 4th instar silkworm la 1 hybfld 0f GuPko X bonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride; Banri) are reared for the first 2.5 days of the 4th instar Honey, beehive honey or honey products; on following per se conventional Diet 4 or the novel Diet P i 5, then the larvae are reared and mounted in conventional Enzymes such as diastase, papain, trypsin; manner to allow them to spin cocoons. Weight of the Preservatives such as sodium dehydroacetate, vitamin resulting cocoons and of the cocoon layers is measured. K sodium sorbate;

Antib otics such as streptomycin, oleandomycin, chlor- Did 4: Parts amphemcol; 3O Dried mulberry leaves powder 11,0 Sulfa drugs such as sulfaisomidine, sulfaisoxazole; and Defatted soybean powder 3 4 0 Glucuronic acid or its salts such as sodium salt, potas- Cellulose powder 23.0 sium salt, calcium salt, ammonium salt, organic amine Potato starch 23.0 salt, ethyl glucuronate, glucuronic acid amide, 2-amino-2- WeSS0n,s minerals 1 0 5 desoxy-D glucuromc acid or its salts, N-glucuronosyl- Vitamin mixture 2 05 glucosamine or its salts. Glucose 5 4 The quantity of compound (I) added to an artificial Ascorbic feedstuff may vary with conditions such as the kind or psitosterol quantity of other components in the artificial feedstuff. C "Q "g Generally, it is preferable to employ about 0.005 to about 1 Onsisfing of Na 1, Q Oi, 213G002, CaCOs,

P P 0.2% by weight of the compound relative to the total {fi g igfi i 12H 0 Cusm Mnsm and KI in weight of the dried artificial feedstuif. Q g- -fig i f- 5 1 9 i 0 In the memo; of the Present invention: Silkworm tindic acids, casl ciufin paptothnfite, ili zfac id, hi ci fi{ v?ta1?rii fi larvae are reare in per se conventional manner except all p a O B e in he f s trat 0 0 that they are fed the above-mentioned feedstuif at the 5 4th instar stage.

The following examples are of presently preferred illus- D et 5: Diet 4 plus 3 milligrams of hexamethylphostrative embodiments of the invention. In these examples, phoryl amide per 10 grams of Diet 4. part(s) by weight is referred to as part(s). Results:

Number of Weight of a Weight of a Weight of a Weight of a silkworm cocoon cocoon layer cocoon cocoon layer larvae (average, (average, (average, (average, Diet tested milligrams) milligrams) milligrams milligrams) EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 3 The 4th instar silkworm larvae (F hybrid of Gunko x The 4th instar silkworm larvae (F hydrid of Nichi 126 x Shi 126) are reared for the first 2.5 days of the 4th instar on the following Diet 1, Diet 2 or Diet 3, then the larvae are reared and mounted in conventional manner to allow them to spin cocoons. Weight of the resulting cocoons and of the cocoon layers is measured.

Diet 1: fresh mulberry leaves per se.

Banri) are reared for 5 days, i.e. through the 4th instar stage on Diet 4 described in Example 2 or Diet 6, then the larvae are reared and mounted in conventional manner to allow them to spin cocoons. Weight of the resulting cocoons and of the cocoon layers is measured.

Diet 6: Diet 4 plus 3 milligrams of triethylenethiophosphoryl amide per 10 grams of Diet 4.

Diet 2: mulberry leaves admixed with about 0.01% Results:

Number of Weight of a Weight of a Weight of a Weight of a silkworm cocoon cocoon layer cocoon cocoon layer larvae (average, (average (average, (average, Diet tested milligrams) milligrams) milligrams milligrams) The results in the foregoing examples show that when the 4th instar silkworm larvae are reared on the feedstufi of the present invention, about ll0120% by weight of cocoons and cocoon layers relative to those obtained on the ordinary feedstufi are obtained. Essentially similar results are obtained in the same way when replacing hexamethylphosphoryl amide, tris(2-methylaziridin-1-y1)- phosphorine oxide and triethylenethiophosphoryl amide by any other compound of Formula I.

The artificial feedstufis listed in the Examples are solely illustrative, and can be replaced by any other conventional artificial feedstufi for silkworm larvae.

Having thus disclosed the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A method for increasing the weight of silkworm cocoons, which comprises feeding the 4th instar silkworm larvae a feedstufi for said larvae selected from the group consisting of mulberry leaves and an artificial feedstuif, said leaves or artificial feedstutf containing a compound of the formula:

wherein X is a member selected from the group consisting of O and S, and each of R R and R is a member selected from the group consisting of dialkylamino and ethyleneimino, the alkyl having a maximum of four carbon atoms and the ethyleneimino being unsubstituted or substituted by alkyl having a maximum of four carbon atoms, wherein the amount of said compound relative to the weight of said leaves is approximately 0.005-0.6% by weight and the amount of said compound relative to the dried weight of said artificial feedstutf is approximately 0.005-0.2% by weight.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the compound is hexamethylphosphoryl amide.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the compound is tris(2-methylaziridin-1-yl)phosphorine oxide.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the compound is triethylenethiophosphoryl amide.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,004,005 10/1961 Malz et a1. 260-959 3,205,130 9/1965 Terry et a1 424220 ALBERT T. MEYERS, Primary Examiner V. D. TURNER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

